The Effects of Clearing and Grading on Terrain in the Mackenzie River Valley

Bruce Smith, Harvey Martens

In the proceedings of: GeoManitoba 2012: 65th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: W1C - Cold Regions Engineering II

ABSTRACT: One of the major concerns addressed during the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry in the mid-1970s was that the construction of winter access roads and pipeline right-of-ways would lead to widespread thaw settlements and instability of ice-rich permafrost terrain in the Mackenzie Valley. During the summer of 2004, the authors conducted field inspections of 111 sites located in the Mackenzie River Valley that had been disturbed by the construction of winter roads and pipelines since the mid-1960s. The field inspections found that surface leveling, for winter roads and pipeline construction, including partial or total removal of the surface organic layer, and the construction of cuts and fills in permafrost terrain did not, in the vast majority of locations, lead to significant surface erosion, thaw settlements or slope instability. A notable exception is in the thick, ice rich peat bogs, which are primarily located between Fort Simpson and northern Alberta. It is concluded that in most terrain types in the Mackenzie Valley, except peat bogs, there appears to be no significant benefit gained by using compacted snow or ice roads, in place of surface leveling, for the construction of winter roads and pipeline right-of-ways.

RÉSUMÉ: instabilités de pentes dans le pergélisol de la vallée du Mackenzie. Les auteurs ont effectué des inspections détaillées routes et des gazoducs depuis les années mi-1960. Les inspections ont démontré que les surfaces nivelées pour la dans la majorité des cas, engendré des érosions, des tassements dû à la fonte et des instabilités de pentes. Une exception particulière est la tourbe riche en glace qui se e pour la majorité des cas, à ..

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